New York Times: Hollywood 'ghosted' Cannes

The New York Times published an opinion piece on May 21 saying Hollywood had “ghosted” the Cannes Film Festival this year, pointing to fewer movie stars, fewer megayachts in the bay and fewer parties on the Croisette. The column described a leaner atmosphere around the 2026 event and more strained interactions between photographers and attendees, framing the change as visible on the ground in Cannes. Other trade and opinion coverage this month has reported the same underlying fact: major U.S. studios did not bring a marquee premiere to the festival in 2026. ### What, specifically, was missing from Cannes this year? The 79th Cannes Film Festival opened on May 12 with an official selection dominated by international and arthouse titles rather than a studio tentpole, according to the festival’s April 9 lineup announcement. The competition slate included films from Pedro Almodóvar, Asghar Farhadi, James Gray, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Cristian Mungiu, Paweł Pawlikowski and Ira Sachs, while the out-of-competition section included titles from Antonin Baudry, Andy Garcia and Nicolas Winding Refn. (article.wn.com) The Hollywood Reporter reported on May 11 that “not a single film from a major Hollywood studio” was premiering at Cannes this year, calling it the first such absence since 2017. Variety and Bloomberg Opinion separately reported that no major Hollywood studio had brought a marquee premiere to the 2026 festival. (festival-cannes.com) ### Was Hollywood absent altogether, or just the studios? Ira Sachs’ “The Man I Love,” with Rami Malek, and James Gray’s “Paper Tiger,” with Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver and Miles Teller, were among the U.S.-linked films in competition, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Variety also noted that some festival titles still featured recognizable stars, including Sebastian Stan, Charles Melton and Sandra Hüller, and that Demi Moore was on the jury. (hollywoodreporter.com) Thierry Frémaux, Cannes’ artistic director, said when announcing the lineup on April 8: “The U.S. will be present [at this year’s festival], the studios less [so].” Variety later quoted Frémaux at the festival’s opening press conference saying, “I hope the studio films come back.” (hollywoodreporter.com) ### Why did studios stay away from the Croisette? Variety reported on May 11 that the reasons were mixed: some U.S. films were not finished in time, while some studios did not want to spend millions promoting movies months ahead of release only to risk a hostile critical reception. John Sloss, founder of Cinetic Media, told Variety that Cannes “has always been challenging for American awards-related films because of where it falls in the calendar.” (hollywoodreporter.com) The Hollywood Reporter reported that travel, accommodations and security for A-list talent in Cannes can run into seven figures for a major release. One veteran publicist told the outlet that if a movie “doesn’t play well,” it can get off to “the worst start possible.” Variety reported on May 16 that several senior sources viewed Cannes as too risky and too expensive in a period of budget pressure. (variety.com) ### How does that line up with the Times’ “ghosted” description? The New York Times opinion piece, as reflected in syndicated pickup and in this week’s wider Cannes coverage, focused on the visible symptoms of the studio pullback: fewer stars, fewer yachts and fewer parties. That description matches trade reporting that this year’s festival had less studio spectacle than editions that hosted premieres such as “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Elvis,” “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” and 2025’s “Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning.” (hollywoodreporter.com) Bloomberg Opinion wrote on May 16 that Cannes has long relied on Hollywood as its “most glamorous tenant,” and said the absence of marquee studio titles had not happened since 2017. The Times’ framing was more scene-setting than industrial, but it rested on the same observable change in the 2026 lineup and festival footprint. (article.wn.com) ### What happens next at Cannes? May 23 is the scheduled end of the 2026 festival, when Cannes is due to announce the Palme d’Or winner. Frémaux has already said he hopes studio films return in future editions, while distributors and buyers remain in Cannes this year for the film market even without a major Hollywood premiere anchoring the red carpet. (variety.com) (bloomberg.com)